Learning Activity – Understanding positioning.

1 – This week we are asked to look at the following logos and explain in my own words what i consider their positioning to be.

Coca Cola : The well known Spencerian script of the Coca Cola logo invokes a feeling of familiarity in people from all corners of the world. It targets everyone from all walks of life, if you have been thirsty, chances are you have craved a coke.Over the years they have emphasized that sharing is caring. To take a break from it all, the importance of the moment you are in and to take in the vistas of life. prepherably with someone, be it befriending an unknown person in need of a drink or with family members during holidays.

Volkswagen : Having spent countless hours in one of their cars, i know first hand what german quality means when it comes to cars. It is safe, comfortable and durable. It is also affordable, i still havent driven another car that gets as far as a vw on one tank of fuel. It also offers more room than most cars of a similar size. Despite all of theese family oriented perks, it is also fun to drive.You can drive grandma to the store and then blast of like a gocart after she is safely home. Words like Repctable, quality, fun, safe and agile come to mind when i see the VW logo.

Visa : It is everywhere, most of us are hardly a meter away from this logo at any given time.Being a global solution for payment they rely on stability and security as well as availability.It was launched in the United States, by Bank of America.It later got licenced in United Kingdom, France and Canada under different names. In 1977 all licences got united under the name Visa.The logo has undergone small changes over the years but it still is true to the BankAmericard visuals from 1958 and invokes familiarity in anyone using a card or terminal offering Visas services.

2 – Look at the logo on the Apple Iphone. by doing my own research, i am to investigate the history of the product and Apple as a company.I am to give an outline, in my own words, of what i consider the following to be:

Describe its brand identity – exactly as i you see it.

What do you think it`s positioning is currently?.

What do you think the strategy for this product was?.

What research do you think was done on this by the company who made it?.

Brand identity : What apple considers their identity to be, is all in all, design and focus on the user experience.They have taken upon themselves to make everyday life for its users easier and simple.

Apples current positioning : World domination, Business insider ranked Apple as the most valuable brand in the world. Number two and three was Google and Coca-Cola.

Strategy for the Iphone : The Iphone was not the first smartphone with touch capabilities, however by improving the user experience compared to other touch phones at the time they launched, they created something that everyone wanted, a better user experience with their device.

Research : They focused on developing software for the phone.They needed it to be better than what the competition offered at the time, to be able to compete in a large market offering alot of devices. In this they succeeded. By creating software able to take over the market for some time and leaving most other companies struggling with bad software in comparison. This forced other companies to improve their own software development to cover the needs, needs the consumer today have come to expect from any phone.

3 – Using the same product (the Iphone), i am to explain, in my own words, how the visual element fits with the brand identity (In this case the logo).

Over the years the Apple logo has undergone extensive changes, however the main element since the beginning has been focused on an apple.The first logo was an illustration of newton sitting under a apple tree.

The logo as we know it today is allot more simplistic. Even though the apple as we know it, stays the same for the most part, small changes are made depending on the visuals of the GUI they use, Apple dropped the skeuomorphic look with iOS 7 in 2013, and therefore changed the look of the logo.This beckons the question wether or not they will change it in the future based on the visuals in the products they are selling, they probably will.

In relation to the product we are focusing on, the Iphone, the logo has also changed depending on models and colours. Despite this, the main elements/principles that represents apple on the phone stays the same, the apple is present, it is presented in a very simplistic yet effective way, some would even call it elegant. It reflects good design, wich has come to be a staple for Apple as a company. The design decisions is present, not only the Iphone, but the whole range of their products.

Personally i am not what one would call an apple fan, however the decisions they have made over the years are good design decisions. They continue the massively popular line of phones sticking to the same principles of design, focusing on the user experience, making everything easy and simplistic.